As we move into event season and golfers around the world start to get out to play and travel for fun, a question of what to bring comes up and how to get it there. Start with an easy one, not all luggage is created equally. Spending more money, can bring features and even quality, but its not a hard and fast rule. Our “Best Buy” further down in this article, might be the best piece of luggage for every golfer and comes in at a fraction of the price. What is the best travel gear for golfers? We took a deep dive to figure out the answer and some options might surprise you.
To accomplish the testing, we traveled…A LOT and packed things full, packed things light and both checked and carried on every item we are discussing and many others we are not. We also did the same with each item by car, just to make sure the handling of in and out didn’t cause any issues.
We are going to break this down by category and with each one explain what was tested and why. To kick things off, the most universal as of late, the hardshell carry-on.
Best Travel Gear For Golfers –
The Hardshell Carry-On
What we tested – Every suitcase had to be carry-on size, hard shell by design and cost under $500. Over 12 pieces of luggage were tested including the popular choices such as Monos, Arlo Skye, Solgaard, Briggs and Riley, Samsonite and more.
When the dust settled, there are pros and cons of most bags. The interior setup of Solgaard is innovative, fun and packs well. As long as you don’t need men’s shoes larger than a size 9 or so (I wear a 11.5 and struggled to fit them). The Monos was clean, spacious and packed well, but the wheels were average and had zipper issues, not once, but twice.
New for hardshells are expandable pockets in the front for laptops and other items, but none of our testing models featured that extra storage. Other features included phone or tablet chargers built in (not all created equally), interior compartment organization and combination of zippers, locks or one or the other.
Each piece of luggage in our round up went through more than one trip and we tried to find the pros and cons of each. After those trips, we sat down and decided to pack for a trip with the “you have your choice method” and immediately went to our winner in this “Best Hardcase Luggage for Golfers”. Simply the bag with zero headaches, great features and a couple of little things that stood out.
ARLO SKYE The Zipper Carry-On Max
When it comes to features, this has a lot, but before getting to some of the innovation, can we just say that this is the only bag we tested, that did not have a single problem, ever on any trip. No zipper pulls, no wheel mishaps, never ran out of room and even has the best built in charger on the market.
Specs
- Weight: 7.0 lbs
- Exterior: 23.0″ H x 15.0″ W x 9.6″ D
- Interior: 22.0″ H x 14.7″ W x 9.6″ D
- Capacity: 45 L
- 10,050 mAh charger, 18W USB C & A ports (PD plus QC 3.0)
The interior design made packing for a golf trip a breeze. One extra pair of shoes, plus one pair of golf shoes, plus a travel steamer all fit into the zip up side. The other featured 3 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of shorts, tops for all, 2 outerwear layers and the normal socks, underwear, belts, etc. The straps held everything in place well and limited shifting to the point that ironing/steaming wasn’t even a necessity.
The zippers are flawless on the Arlo Skye, and even allow for some give and expansion, which is not the norm. The wheels are easy and the weight and handle are completely manageable and glide. As to the battery charger? Best in class from what we tested and it’s not close. Charges your phone to 50% in under 30 minutes and the battery itself pops right out for easy access and charging.
This bag is the piece of luggage you buy once, and never have to think about again, that is the ultimate compliment in travel gear for the golfer. As a quick note, it also came with two shoe bags, one laundry bag and a cotton cover. Shoe bags make putting golf shoes in the suitcase a bit more accessible rather than in travel cover, if you choose.
Best Travel Gear for Golfers – The Duffle Carry-On
This is a very popular type of travel gear for golfers, especially those that like to road trip it. We tested 9 different bags in the class and there were two stand outs on opposite sides of the spectrum. Most were wheeled duffles, but not all. All must be carry-on compliant or close and be able to hold enough for a weekend golf trip by plane or automobile.
Features looked for with this type of bag were good zippers, good compartments, storage and the ease of use in transport, by both wheels and straps. Two bags stood out to us for very different reasons.
Those tested included Briggs and Riley, Samsonite, CaddyDaddy, OGIO, Nike, Stitch and many others. Each bag made a minimum of two trips and each bag was packed in full for a golf trip. Unlike the “Best hardcase luggage for golfers” above, this has two very clear stand outs.
Premium – Stitch Roller Duffle
Going over each individually, the Stitch Roller Duffle is a stand out. Small in size, large in capacity, the rigid design keeps it looking good, and the telescoping handle and wheels made transport a breeze.
The personalization of initials is a nice touch and their website doesn’t do a great job of showcasing the storage here with multiple individual pockets and dual straps that really hold stuff in place. The entirety of this bag is a rock star and after 3 full trips with it, it looks brand new.
The bag comes in at a cost of $358 and is available in multiple colors. The best compliment we can give about the Stitch Roller Duffle is that it holds exactly what you need and it arrives the same way you packed it.
Best Buy – CaddyDaddy First Class Carry-On
On the flip side of the coin is the CaddyDaddy First Class Carry-On. This thing is an absolute beast and comes in at a price of under $200.
It’s big and fits everything. And by everything, we mean everything.
For the over packer that also likes to have small compartments for organization. This bag thought of everything and while it is slightly larger than maybe it should be, the First Class Carry-On will not let you down. Do not let the price fool you, the quality is as good as anything we tested, including the zippers, which are YKK lockable and the entire exterior is 1000D Military Grade Ballistic Nylon.
This bag surprised us. It’s that good.
Where CaddyDaddy thought of everything is that most larger duffle style bags that are still carry-on sized, are typically a large opening (maybe 2) and then a couple of tiny pockets. Not the First Class Carry-On.
We have pockets all over the place, multiple ways to access or pack your goods and dividers to keep everything organized and perfect. This is one of the most well thought out bags in any budget, but happens to be our Best Buy at under $200.
The Accessory That You Didn’t Think You Needed
You know the age old question of what do you get the person that has everything? Or how do you shop for a golfer, when you do not play? The answer is this brand, assuming they indulge in a cocktail from time to time.
If you have never heard of Aged & Ore, do not feel bad, we hadn’t either. A reader saw our rather large Food and Drink section of the forum and reached out and asked if we had tried their “Bottle Flight” for traveling. We have now and it is downright one of the best accessories we never knew we needed, as fans of a beverage every now and then and want to share some of your own spirits.
The Aged & Ore Bottle Flight is a premium set of 4 custom silicone wrapped glass bottles designed to transport and share samples of your favorite spirits. The flight bottles come in a custom EVA travel case that fits perfectly in any small bag. An Aged & Ore ‘Glass Marker’ comes in each case- enabling you to temporarily identify your spirits.
Features Include:
- 3oz max capacity per bottle – TSA Travel Compliant
- Protective Travel Case with Carry Loop
- Measurement Indicators on each bottle
- Silicone Sleeve on each bottle for aesthetics and additional protection
- Labeling Window
- Glass Marker Included
- Wide Mouth for easy filling
So….This was tested, loved and then an email chain of epic proportion broke out amongst friends that all were enamored. It didn’t stop there though, the company produces some seriously unique and well thought out items for the traveler that fits right in line with many of our golfers here at THP.
Craziest part? The price. The Bottle Flight is under $40 ($38 to be exact) and comes in a variety of colors. They make a larger model called the XL, which is also an amazing travel item (not for flying) and the Neat Traveler, which we will have more on soon and might be another “we didn’t know we needed it” item.
Wrap Up
When searching for the best travel gear for golfers, which category luggage do you find yourself gravitating towards? Are you a hardshell or duffle kind of traveler?
As a note, NONE of the items discussed above are affiliate programs, we are NOT paid if you purchase the items or not.
If you came here looking for the best travel cover in 2025, do not fret. We have a full wrap up coming up soon on those. If you can’t wait, we will give you a hint. Our Best Buy is once again CaddyDaddy and their First Class bag. Coming in at under $200 there are hundreds of THPers on the forum raving about it.
We will have full reviews coming on many of the pieces discussed above and if you have questions, as always do not hesitate to ask below.
